Job 5 Study Notes: Eliphaz Urges Job to Seek God
Eliphaz continues his speech, describing how fools are suddenly ruined and urging Job to bring his case to God, who lifts the lowly and traps the crafty. He calls God’s correction a blessing, promises Job safety and long life if he accepts it, and insists his teaching is proven.
General
What does Eliphaz urge Job not to despise in Job 5:17?
Answer: The discipline the Almighty brings
Eliphaz calls the person God corrects blessed, and he tells Job not to reject the Almighty’s discipline (5:17). God wounds and also binds up; He strikes, yet He heals (5:18). Taken by itself, this is true and is taught elsewhere in Scripture: the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father disciplines a son (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-6). Eliphaz’s mistake is in applying it to Job, assuming Job’s suffering is correction for sin. The LORD had said that Satan stirred Him against Job for no reason (2:3), and He later said the friends had not spoken rightly about Him (42:7).
- Job 5:17-18 (BSB)“Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.”Eliphaz calls the one God corrects blessed and says God both wounds and heals.
- Proverbs 3:11-12 (BSB)“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”Proverbs teaches that the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as a father does.
- Hebrews 12:5-6 (BSB)“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.””The New Testament quotes Proverbs to show God’s discipline as a mark of His love for His children.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””The LORD says Job was ruined without cause, so his suffering was not correction for sin.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says the friends did not speak accurately about Him.
Theological
In Job 5:17, what does Eliphaz warn Job against despising?
Answer: The discipline the Almighty brings
Eliphaz pronounces a blessing on the one God reproves and urges Job not to reject the Almighty’s chastening (5:17), since God wounds and binds up, strikes and heals (5:18). The principle itself is biblical: the LORD disciplines those He loves as a father does his son (Proverbs 3:11-12), and Hebrews applies it to believers (Hebrews 12:5-6). The error is in the diagnosis. Job’s affliction was not chastisement for sin, for the LORD said Satan stirred Him against Job for no reason (2:3), and the friends’ counsel is finally rejected (42:7).
- Job 5:17-18 (BSB)“Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.”Eliphaz calls the one God corrects blessed and says God both wounds and heals.
- Proverbs 3:11-12 (BSB)“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”Proverbs teaches that the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as a father does.
- Hebrews 12:5-6 (BSB)“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.””The New Testament quotes Proverbs to show God’s discipline as a mark of His love for His children.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””The LORD says Job was ruined without cause, so his suffering was not correction for sin.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says the friends did not speak accurately about Him.
General
True or False: Eliphaz says hardship does not sprout on its own from the soil, but that human beings are born into trouble, as naturally as sparks rise from a fire (Job 5:6-7).
Answer: True
This is true. Eliphaz says hardship does not grow up out of the ground by itself (5:6). Instead, human beings are born into trouble just as sparks naturally rise from a fire (5:7). Scripture agrees that life in a fallen world is full of hardship: Job himself later says a human life is brief and troubled (14:1), and the ground was cursed after Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:17). Eliphaz then turns this general truth into advice aimed at Job (5:8).
- Job 5:6-7 (BSB)“For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.”Eliphaz says trouble is part of the human lot from birth.
- Job 14:1 (BSB)““Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.”Job himself later describes human life as short and troubled.
- Genesis 3:17 (BSB)“And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”After Adam’s sin the ground was cursed, and life became marked by toil.
Theological
True or False: Eliphaz says affliction is not something that grows out of the soil by itself, yet humans are born into trouble as naturally as sparks rise from a fire (Job 5:6-7).
Answer: True
This is true. Eliphaz affirms that affliction does not grow out of the earth on its own (5:6), yet humanity is born into trouble just as sparks naturally rise (5:7). The observation fits the biblical picture of life under the curse that followed Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:17), and Job himself later describes human life as brief and troubled (14:1). Eliphaz then turns this general truth into counsel aimed at Job (5:8).
- Job 5:6-7 (BSB)“For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.”Eliphaz says trouble is part of the human lot from birth.
- Job 14:1 (BSB)““Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.”Job himself later describes human life as short and troubled.
- Genesis 3:17 (BSB)“And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”After Adam’s sin the ground was cursed, and life became marked by toil.
General
Which New Testament writer quotes Eliphaz’s words about God trapping the clever in their own cunning (Job 5:13), and why?
Answer: Paul, to show that worldly wisdom is folly in God’s eyes
Paul quotes this line in 1 Corinthians 3:19, introducing it with the standard formula for citing Scripture. He uses it to show that worldly wisdom is folly in God’s sight, and in the next verse he adds a line from Psalm 94:11 (1 Corinthians 3:20). So Eliphaz’s words, recorded in Scripture, state a true principle: God frustrates crafty schemers and traps the clever in their own scheming (5:12-13). Eliphaz’s fault lay in applying such truths to Job as if his suffering proved his guilt, and the LORD later says the friends did not speak rightly about Him (42:7). A statement can be true in itself and still be wrongly applied to a particular person.
- Job 5:12-13 (BSB)“He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.”Eliphaz says God frustrates the schemes of the crafty and traps the clever in their own cunning.
- 1 Corinthians 3:19 (BSB)“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.””Paul quotes Job 5:13 as Scripture to show God’s verdict on the world’s wisdom.
- 1 Corinthians 3:20 (BSB)“And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.””Paul pairs the line with Psalm 94:11, a second witness to the futility of human wisdom.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says the friends did not speak accurately about Him.
Theological
Which New Testament writer cites Eliphaz’s line about God trapping the clever in their own cunning (Job 5:13), and for what purpose?
Answer: Paul, to show that worldly wisdom is folly in God’s eyes
Paul cites Job 5:13 with the formula for quoting Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:19, using it to show that the world’s wisdom is folly before God, and joins it with Psalm 94:11 (1 Corinthians 3:20). The apostle thus treats Eliphaz’s statement as Scripture and as true: God thwarts crafty schemers and ensnares the clever in their own cunning (5:12-13). Eliphaz misapplied such truths to Job as though his affliction proved guilt, and the LORD says the friends did not speak rightly about Him (42:7).
- Job 5:12-13 (BSB)“He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.”Eliphaz says God frustrates the schemes of the crafty and traps the clever in their own cunning.
- 1 Corinthians 3:19 (BSB)“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.””Paul quotes Job 5:13 as Scripture to show God’s verdict on the world’s wisdom.
- 1 Corinthians 3:20 (BSB)“And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.””Paul pairs the line with Psalm 94:11, a second witness to the futility of human wisdom.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says the friends did not speak accurately about Him.
General
What does Eliphaz say he would do if he were in Job’s place (Job 5:8)?
Answer: Seek God and bring his case before Him
Eliphaz says that, in Job’s place, he would turn to God and set his case before Him (5:8). He describes God as doing great deeds no one can fathom, along with countless wonders (5:9). That description of God is true, and Job himself uses almost the same words in a later speech (9:10). Paul also marvels that God’s judgments and ways cannot be traced out (Romans 11:33). Seeking God is good counsel, and Job does long to argue his case before God (13:3). But Eliphaz frames it as the way back from guilt, as though Job’s suffering were punishment.
- Job 5:8-9 (BSB)“However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him— the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.”Eliphaz urges Job to turn to God, whom he describes as doing countless wonders.
- Job 9:10 (BSB)“He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.”Job uses almost the same words about God’s wonders in a later speech.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels that God’s judgments and ways are beyond tracing.
- Job 13:3 (BSB)“Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.”Job does long to bring his case before God himself.
Theological
What course of action does Eliphaz say he would take in Job’s place (Job 5:8)?
Answer: Seek God and bring his case before Him
Eliphaz counsels that he himself would seek God and commit his cause to Him (5:8), the God of great, unfathomable deeds and countless wonders (5:9). The praise is sound: Job echoes it almost word for word (9:10), and Paul extols the untraceable depths of God’s judgments (Romans 11:33). Job will indeed seek to plead his case before God (13:3). Eliphaz’s counsel goes wrong only in its premise, that Job’s affliction is chastisement for sin from which he must return.
- Job 5:8-9 (BSB)“However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him— the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.”Eliphaz urges Job to turn to God, whom he describes as doing countless wonders.
- Job 9:10 (BSB)“He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.”Job uses almost the same words about God’s wonders in a later speech.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels that God’s judgments and ways are beyond tracing.
- Job 13:3 (BSB)“Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.”Job does long to bring his case before God himself.
General
What does Eliphaz say he has seen happen to a fool who seemed to be putting down roots (Job 5:3-5)?
Answer: His home was suddenly cursed, his sons left helpless, his crops taken
Eliphaz begins this part of his speech by warning that no holy one will answer Job if he calls (5:1) and that resentment and envy destroy foolish people (5:2). He then describes a fool who looked settled and secure, yet his household was suddenly cursed (5:3). His sons were left unsafe and beaten down in court with no one to defend them, and hungry and thirsty people took his harvest and his wealth (5:4-5). Job had just lost his flocks and herds and then his children (1:13-19). The opening chapters show that these losses came on a man the LORD called blameless, who did not sin in the way he responded (1:8; 1:22).
- Job 5:3-5 (BSB)“I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender. The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.”Eliphaz describes the sudden ruin of a fool who had seemed secure.
- Job 1:18-19 (BSB)“While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!””Job’s losses ended with the death of all his sons and daughters when the house collapsed on them.
- Job 1:8 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.””The LORD called Job blameless and upright, not a fool.
- Job 1:22 (BSB)“In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.”Through all his losses Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
Theological
According to Eliphaz, what became of the fool he saw taking root (Job 5:3-5)?
Answer: His home was suddenly cursed, his sons left helpless, his crops taken
After warning that no holy one will answer Job (5:1) and that vexation and envy kill the foolish (5:2), Eliphaz describes a fool who seemed firmly rooted until his dwelling was suddenly cursed, his sons left defenseless in court, and his harvest and wealth seized by the hungry and thirsty (5:3-5). Job himself had just lost his flocks, herds and children (1:13-19), yet the opening chapters show him to be blameless rather than a fool, and he did not sin in his response (1:8; 1:22).
- Job 5:3-5 (BSB)“I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender. The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.”Eliphaz describes the sudden ruin of a fool who had seemed secure.
- Job 1:18-19 (BSB)“While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!””Job’s losses ended with the death of all his sons and daughters when the house collapsed on them.
- Job 1:8 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.””The LORD called Job blameless and upright, not a fool.
- Job 1:22 (BSB)“In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.”Through all his losses Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
General
Which of these works does Eliphaz credit to God in Job 5:10-16?
Answer: Rescuing the poor from strong oppressors and raising the low
Eliphaz praises God as the One who sends rain on the earth and waters the fields (5:10). He raises the humble and lifts mourners to safety (5:11). He frustrates the crafty (5:12-13), rescues needy people from the strong, and gives the poor hope while injustice falls silent (5:15-16). These are true statements about God that the rest of Scripture also celebrates, as in Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2:7-8), Mary’s song (Luke 1:52), and the psalms (Psalm 147:8). Eliphaz’s error lies not in praising God but in assuming that Job’s situation fits his scheme.
- Job 5:10-11 (BSB)“He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields. He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.”Eliphaz praises God for giving rain and lifting up the humble and grieving.
- Job 5:15-16 (BSB)“He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”Eliphaz says God rescues the needy, giving the poor hope.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.”Hannah praises the LORD who humbles and exalts, raising the poor and needy.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary’s song celebrates God exalting the humble and bringing down rulers.
- Psalm 147:8 (BSB)“who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the hills.”The psalmist likewise praises God for preparing rain for the earth.
Theological
Which of the following does Eliphaz attribute to God in Job 5:10-16?
Answer: Rescuing the poor from strong oppressors and raising the low
Eliphaz’s hymn celebrates God’s providence in creation and in human affairs: He waters the earth (5:10), exalts the lowly and brings mourners to safety (5:11), frustrates the crafty (5:12-13), and delivers needy people from the powerful so that the poor may hope and wrongdoing is silenced (5:15-16). This reversal of fortunes is a recurring biblical theme (1 Samuel 2:7-8; Luke 1:52), and God’s care in sending rain is praised elsewhere (Psalm 147:8). The theology of the hymn is sound; the misjudgment is Eliphaz’s assumption that it explains Job’s case.
- Job 5:10-11 (BSB)“He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields. He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.”Eliphaz praises God for giving rain and lifting up the humble and grieving.
- Job 5:15-16 (BSB)“He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”Eliphaz says God rescues the needy, giving the poor hope.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.”Hannah praises the LORD who humbles and exalts, raising the poor and needy.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary’s song celebrates God exalting the humble and bringing down rulers.
- Psalm 147:8 (BSB)“who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the hills.”The psalmist likewise praises God for preparing rain for the earth.
General
How does Eliphaz close his first speech to Job (Job 5:27)?
Answer: He insists that he and the others have tested it, so Job should accept it
Eliphaz promises that if Job accepts God’s correction, God will rescue him from many troubles, including famine, war, slander and wild animals (5:19-23). He pictures a secure home, many descendants, and a ripe old age (5:24-26). He then ends by saying that he and those with him have looked into these things and found them true, so Job should listen and apply them to himself (5:27). His confidence is great, but the LORD later tells Eliphaz that he and his two friends had not spoken rightly about Him (42:7), and Job calls their counsel worthless (13:4). The LORD did restore Job in the end, but that came after Job interceded for the three friends (42:10), not as the payoff of Eliphaz’s formula.
- Job 5:19 (BSB)“He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.”Eliphaz begins his promises of rescue for the one who accepts God’s correction.
- Job 5:25-27 (BSB)“You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season. Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.””Eliphaz promises many descendants and a full old age, then insists his teaching is proven.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says Eliphaz and his friends did not speak accurately about Him.
- Job 13:4 (BSB)“You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.”Job calls the friends worthless physicians whose counsel does not heal.
- Job 42:10 (BSB)“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.”Job’s restoration came after he prayed for his friends, at the LORD’s initiative.
Theological
With what claim does Eliphaz conclude his first speech (Job 5:27)?
Answer: He insists that he and the others have tested it, so Job should accept it
Eliphaz’s closing promises of deliverance, security, many descendants, and a full old age (5:19-26) are offered on condition that Job accept God’s reproof. He seals them with an appeal to shared research: he and those with him have examined the matter, found it true, and Job should take it to heart (5:27). Yet the LORD finally pronounces that the friends did not speak rightly about Him (42:7), and Job dismisses them as worthless physicians (13:4). Job’s later restoration came after he interceded for the friends (42:10), as the LORD’s free gift rather than as a confirmation of Eliphaz’s scheme.
- Job 5:19 (BSB)“He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.”Eliphaz begins his promises of rescue for the one who accepts God’s correction.
- Job 5:25-27 (BSB)“You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season. Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.””Eliphaz promises many descendants and a full old age, then insists his teaching is proven.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD later says Eliphaz and his friends did not speak accurately about Him.
- Job 13:4 (BSB)“You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.”Job calls the friends worthless physicians whose counsel does not heal.
- Job 42:10 (BSB)“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.”Job’s restoration came after he prayed for his friends, at the LORD’s initiative.